Permanent mold and means for operating the same.



PERMANENT MOLD AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1913.

1,083,122. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q P WITNESSES g 'ATTO R N EY 0. W. MOWANE. I PERMANENT MOLD AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1913.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY CHARLES WILLIAM mowxm, or LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA.

PERMANENT MOLD AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SAME.

. Application filed May Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Deg. 30, 1913.

29, 1913. seriaino. 770,701.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES WV. Mo-

WANE, a citizen of the United States, residin at Lynchburg, in the county of Campbell and State of Virginia, have invented a new and. useful Permanent Mold and Means for Operating the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in.permanent molds and means for. operating them, and its object is to provide a permanent mold and operating means whereby casting may be expeditiously performed, and the cast article released from the mold before shrinkage cracks can occur, and without liability of other damage to the cast article, the operating means making provision for expansion of the mold under the heat of the molten metal.

While the invention is designed more particularly for casting chilled mold boards, it may be employed for other purposes, and although the showing of the drawings is confined to molds for moldboards, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the casting of such specific objects.

In accordance with the present invention the permanent mold is a two part structure having no positive connection between the parts, so thatone may be moved bodily from the other in a straight line, thereby releasing the cast article at all points simultaneously. Furthermore, the mold is so constructed that floating dross on the molten metal in the ladle will not find its way into the mold cavity, wherefore there is no liab'ility of producing a casting having dross in the form of dirt and slag in it. The mold has a supporting means whereby one part of the mold may be moved toward and from the other, butat the same time in no manner interfering with the expansion of the mold under the action of heat, while provision is made for holding the two parts of the mold in close relation during the casting operation, but yieldingly holding these two parts so that expansion is provided for.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show ter 1s not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the 1nvent1on.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of a gan of molds constructed in accordance wit the present invention. Fig. 2 s a side elevation of the structure shown In Flg. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the gang of molds. Fig. 4 is an elevation of one part of the mold showing the mold chamber. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the other part of the mold showing the mold chamber. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of a mold at the junction of the gate with the mold chamber.

The present invention has to do particularly with the molding of mold boards and other thin devices where it is advantageous to release the molded article as soon as possible after the pouring of the metal has been sockets 6 in the other member. Each member has an upstanding neck portion 7 matching that of the other, and in each upstanding portion and extending therefrom into underlying relation with the respective cavity 2 or 4, as the case may be, is a channel 8, which, when the mold sections are brought together, coalesce into a gate which may be relatively narrow in one direction. The gate has a mouth 9 at its upper end expanded into more or less elliptical form, and considerably wider than the thickness of the gate channel, and the latter is carried into underlying relation to the mold. chamber and opens upwardly thereinto, and the mold chamber is provided with vents 10 along the upper edge, which vents need be formed only in the mold section or member3.

a practical form of the invention, the lat- Extending through the neck 7 of each mold member is a passageway 11, one passageway matching the other to form an overflow gate for the main gate, this overflow declining from the gate and being located below the mouth 9, and above the top of the mold chamber.

At opposite ends of each mold section are laterally projecting lugs 12, 13, resgect-ively, and these. lugs carry pins 14 exten ing outwardly therefrom. The under surface of the lugs 12 are notched, as shown at 15, these notches matching and being preferably of inverted V-shapc, while the lower surface of the lugs 13 is smooth.

There are provided two tracks 16, 17, respectively, held in spaced relation by spacing bars 18 at suitable intervals and supported by legs 1.9 or other suitable means. The tracks 16 and 17 are spaced apart to such an extent that the upper edge of the track 16 which is of inverted V-shape, as indicated at 20. will enter the V notches 15 in the lugs 12 of the mold sections. The upper surface of the track 17 is smooth or flat and is designed to receive the smooth or flat under faces of the lugs 13.

'll'ireaded through one web of each of the legs 19, which are angular, is a set screw 22 provided with jam nuts 23 and designed to serve as an abutment for one mold section,

say, the mold section 3. Fast to the outer face of each leg 19 is an upstanding bracket 24 which may serve as a support for the respective track 1.6 or 17, as the case may be. This bracket extends above the respective track and is there divided into a yoke 25 in which is pivoted one end of a bar 26 by means of a pivot bolt 27. The bar 26 extends from one leg 19 toward the next leg in order. while the bolt 27 serves as a means for securing a strap 28 to the bracket, the other end of the strap being made fast to an adjacent mold section 3 holding it against the respective set screws 22 engaging it, provision being made for truing up the mold section 3 with respect to the tracks. so that the mold section 1 may be moved along the tracks into and out of face engagement with the mold section 3, bringing these mold sections when together into intimate contact Each strap 28 has the end remote from the bolt 27 traversed by a'respective pin 14 of the mold section 3.

Fast to each bar 26 about midway of its length is a yoke bracket 29 traversed by a rod 30 which may extend parallel with the bar 26, andthe latter near the end remote from the bolt 27 is formed with an outstanding eye 31 through which the rod 30 extends and beyond which the rod 30 terminates in a head 32 designed to engage a respective pin 14 on the lug 13 of the mold section 1.

Thebar 26 is provided beyond the eye 31 with a longitudinally disposed finger 33 which may rest upon the pin 14 engaged by the head 32 and so support the corresponding end of the bar 26. On the bar 26 between the yoke bracket 29 and the eye 31 is a spring 34 at one end engagin the bracket 29 and at the other end engage by a nut 35 on the rod 30, which latter is threaded for the purpose. The end of the rod 30 remote from that having the head 32 is formed into an eye 36 designed to receive one end 37 of a lever 38, this lever near the end 37 having a collar 39 thereon limiting the extent of projection of the end 37 through the eye 36. The legs 19 are connected to the tracks and to the cross pieces 18 by braces 40 and 41 in order to stifl'en the whole structure.

Let it be assumed that the bars 26 have their fingers 33 resting on the pins 14 projecting from the lugs 12 and 13, these bars being provided on both sides of the supporting structure, and that the heads 32 are in engagement with the pins 14 with the springs 34 under such compression that the mold sections 1 are each forced into close contact with companion mold sections 3, the latter having been trued up by-a suitable manipulation of the set screws 22 and the parts all locked in the adjusted positions. Under these conditions molten metal poured from the ladle as usual into the gate of the mold, flows down through the gate and thence up into the mold chamber, air and gases escaping through the vents 10. The under feed of the gate with respect to the mold chamber prevents any dross or dirt or slag reaching the mold chamber, since such waste material is lighter than the molten metal and floats on top of it, and hence rises in the gate instead of passing into the mold chamber to produce a faulty casting. The pouring is continued until the metal reaches the overflow 11, and then the pouring is stopped.

The casting beingthin and the material within the gate also being thin, the cast metal chills quickly, so that by the time the pouring is completed the mold may be opened. To do this two operatives manipulate levers 38 on opposite sides of the filled mold by inserting the. ends 37 of the levers through the eyes 36 and on rocking these levers away from the mold the springs 34 are compressed and the ends of the bars 26 having the fingers 33 are raised from engagement with the pins 14 whereupon the mold section 1, being no longer held by the bars 26, may be readily moved along the tracks 16 and 17 away from the mold section 3 to a distance sufficient to permit the molded article to drop out, it being understood that the molds are upright during the casting process. Since the mouth 9 is of considerable capacity and much wider than the thickness of the gate 8, there would, in the absence of the overflow 11, be a mass of metal within the mouth which would still be in a molten condition, even after the casting had hardened sufiiciently to. permit the opening up of the mold, and such molten metal would itself be apt to fall upon the casting and so'injure it and possibly cause its loss. It is desirable to open the molds at once after the pouring has been completed to avoid shrinkage cracks, but this could not be done if the mouth were full of molten metal and it was necessary to await its solidification.

The casting is performed very expeditiously and the molds are opened as soon as the pouring is completed, for the thin metal quickly solidifies and the molds may be opened before shrinkage occurs, wherefore t ere is no loss of castings on account of shrinkage cracks as occurs when the molds are not opened at the proper time. It is due to the overflow gate that this can be accomplished, for as soon as metal flows out through the overflow gate the pouring is stopped and the metal in the gate being very thin solidifies almost at once, so that the opening of the mold may proceed as soon as the pouring has terminated. Atthe completion of the pouring operation two operatives insert the levers or handles 38- in the respective eyes 36 and move these levers away from the mold, thus compressing the springs and raising the bars 26, so that the mold section 1 is released and may be moved upon the tracks away from the mold section 3 and thereby discharging the casting by gravity. Immediately thereafter the mold section 1 is moved back into engagement with the mold section 3, and the' handles or levers 38 are moved toward the mold section 1, thereby again compressing the springs and causing the heads 32 to drop behind the pins 14 when the fingers 33 are stopped by these pins. Now, on releasing the handles the springs force the heads 82 into intimate engagement with the pins 14, thereby holding the section 1 against the section 3 ready for the pouring of the molten metal. The opening and closing of the molds may be so rapidly performed that practice has demonstrated that six molds can be securely clamped in one minute and six molds can be unclamped in half a minute, by two men. a

The heat of the molten metal tends to expand the molds, and this'expansion is taken care of by the smooth or flat track 17 en gaged by the smooth or fiat under surfaces of the lugs 13, while the V-shaped track 16 engaging in the V-shaped notches 15 at the other end of the mold sections holds the mold sections in proper alinement and permits the moving of the section 1 away from and toward the section 3 with the assurance that a close fit will always be obtained, and this close fit is maintained by the springs 34 which ,will yield to any expansion of the molds under the heat of the molten metal in a direction to compressthe springs.

Although the guiding track is shown and described as having the tread portion of inverted V-shape, and the molds are also shown and described as having inverted V- shaped grooves adapted to the track, it will be understood that any equitstent form of track, that is, one capable of a like function, may be employed, with the molds correspondingly constructed so as to be properly supported and guided by the track,

What is claimed is 1. A separable permanent mold formed of two matching parts together inclosing a mold cavity and a gate, the latter having an overflow gate below its mouth and above the highest point of the mold cavity.

2. A two-part separable permanent mold with the two parts defining a gate having an overflow below the mouth thereof.

3. A two-part separable permanent mold together defining a gate entering the mold cavity at the bottom only, and the latter having vents at its upper portion, said gate being provided with an overflow gate below its mouth and above the highest point of the mold cavity.

4. 'A permanent mold formed of two upright matching parts together inclosing the mold cavity, with one part movable bodily from and toward the other part, and meansseparate from the mold for clamping one part of the mold yieldingly against the other. 1

5. A permanent mold-formed of two upright matching parts together inclosing the mold cavity, withone part movable bodily from and toward the other part, each part. of the mold including a proportionate part of the mold cavity and gate and each )art being provided with a groove leading rom the gate at a point below the mouth, the grooves coacting to form an overflow passage from said gate.

6. A molding means comprising a twopart permanent mold with one part movable bodily away from and toward the other, a support for the two parts of the mold, and elastic clamping means mounted on the support separately from the mold for holding the two parts of said mold in yielding engagement.

7. A two part permanent mold with one part movable bodily away from and toward the other, in combination with tracks on opposite sides of the mold, one track being related to the mold to guide the movable member and the other track being related to the mold to permit expansion and contraction of the mold laterally of the track.

' 8. A two part permanent mold with one part movable bodily away from and toward the other, in combination with supporting tracks on oppositesides of the mold related thereto to permit lateral expansion of the mold, and elastic clamping devices for the movable part of the mold for holding it yieldingly' against the fixed part of the mold. 4

9. A two part permanent mold with one part movable away from and toward the other, in combination with a track on one side of the mold having an inverted V portion and another track on another side of the mold with the active portion smooth or flat and the mold being provided with track engaging parts conforming to the respective tracks.

10. A two part permanent mold with one part movable away from and toward the other, in combination with a track on one side of the mold having an inverted V portion and another track on another side ofthe mold with the active portion smooth or flat, and the mold being provided with supporting lugs on opposite sides, the lugs on one side having an inverted V groove to conform to the V track, and those on the other side being smooth or plane where engaging the smooth or flat track.

11. A two part permanent mold with each part having lugs on opposite sides and pins projecting from the lugs, with the lug of each part on one side smooth on the under surface and the lug on the other side provided with an inverted V groove, a track having an inverted V shaped tread for receiving the lugs with the V grooves, another track having a smooth or flat tread for receiving the smooth lugs, means carried by the track for engaging the pins of one part of the mold to hold it inv fixed relation to the track, and elastic clamping means en gaging the pins on the other part of the mold to hold the last named part of the mold in elastic engagement with the firstnamed part.

12. A two part permanent mold provided with supporting lugs on opposite sides and having pins projecting from the lugs, a

track structure provided with tracks engaging the lugs of the mold with one track and the lug on the same side of the mold having coacting means for guiding the mold, holding means fast to the track structure and engaging the pins of one part of the mold, adjusting means for the said part of the mold for truing it with relation to the track, and elastic clamping means for hold- I ing the other part of themold in yielding engagement with the first-named part thereof.

13. A two part permanent mold provided with supporting lugs on opposite sides and having pins projecting from the lugs, a track structure provided with tracks engaging the lugs of the mold with one track and the lug on the same side of the mold having coacting means for guiding the mold, holding means fast to the track structure and engaging the pins of one part of the mold, adjusting means for the said part of the mold for truing it with relation to the track, and elastic clamping means for holding the other part of the mold in yielding engagement with the first named part thereof, said clamping means comprising a pivoted bar on each side of the track structure, with means for engaging the pins of the second named part of the mold and each clamping means on the respective sides of the track structure being provided with a longitudinally movable rod, and a spring thereon having a normal tendency to move the rod in engagement with the respective pin, and at the end remote from the pin engaging'end provided with an eye for the application of a manipulating device.

14-. A two part permanent mold provided with supporting lugs on opposite sides and having pins projecting from the lugs, a track structure provided with tracks engaging the lugs of the mold with one track and the lug on the same side of the mold having coacting means for guiding the mold, holding means fast to the track structure and engaging the pins of one part of the mold, adjusting means for the said part of the mold for truing it with relation to the track, and elastic clamping means for holding the other part of the mold in yielding engagement with the first-named part thereof, said clamping means comprising a pivoted bar on each side of the track structure with means for engaging the pins of the second named part of the mold and each clamping means on the respective sides of the track structure being provided with a longitudinally movable rod and a spring thereon havin a normal tendency to move the rod in. engagement with the respective pin, and at the end remote from the pin engaging end provided with an eye for the application of a manipulating device, each elastic clamp member being pivoted to the track structure at the end remote from that engaging the respective pin of the second named part of the mold.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WILLIAM MCVVANE.

\Vitnesses M. M. BEEGHER, A. P. MoNTAeUE. 

